In conventional cameras, 35 mm film cartridges or cassettes are loaded from the side through a hinged camera back into a loading chamber on one side of the image frame exposure gate, and the filmstrip is either manually or automatically directed through the exposure gate and wound on a take-up reel. After all image frames are exposed, the filmstrip is either automatically rewound by a motorized drive or manually rewound into the cartridge. The cartridge is then typically removed by opening the hinged camera back, releasing the drive from the cartridge spool hub and manually withdrawing the cartridge from the loading chamber.
More recently, it has been proposed to load and eject conventional and modified 35 mm cartridges in an end-wise fashion through a sliding or pivoted door in the bottom or side of the camera body and to employ motorized filmstrip winding and rewinding apparatus to advance the filmstrip out of and back into the cartridge. Such cameras are disclosed, for example, in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,914 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,155,514, 5,159,365 and 5,142,316. In the '914 patent, a camera loading chamber and mechanism is provided for receiving and ejecting a "thrust" style 35 mm cartridge which does not have a protruding film leader and has an actuable cartridge door through which the filmstrip is ejected and rewound. The cartridge is received in the loading chamber and ejected partially from the loading chamber when the door is opened by an ejecting pin linked to the door.
Moreover, an improved loading chamber ejection mechanism for such a thrust cartridge is set forth in the above-referenced co-pending '619 application. The ejection mechanism operates in conjunction with a door supported first for translational movement part way from the loading chamber and then for pivotal movement further from the chamber such that the film cartridge or cassette is also moved translationally during both door movements.
A further thrust style, film cartridge, having a retention slot extending longitudinally along its outer surface for engagement by a retention member during movement of the film cartridge from a camera loading chamber, has been proposed in the above-referenced '969 application. An improved mechanism for receiving and ejecting the cartridge from the loading chamber is disclosed, wherein the retention slot in the cartridge is engageable by the retention member upon partial insertion into the chamber and remains in engagement upon ejection to prevent the film cartridge from falling out. The user may complete the withdrawal of the cartridge by simply pulling the partially ejected cartridge out, overcoming the retention force.